Guideway for machine gun ammunition belts



ec. 22, 1942. e. c. BRENTNALL 2,305,667

GUIDEWAYS FOR MACHINE GUN AMMUNITION BELTS Filed Nov 22, 1940 F1? Dec. 2, 1942 on news chutes Bren Erdlngton, Birmingto Dunlop Rubber Oom- Engiand, assignm- Limited, London, England, a British com- Application Novemher 22, 1940, Serial No. 368,63li in Great Britain November 10, 1939 This invention concerns improvements in or relating to guideways or tracks for machine gun unition belts, particularly for use with machine guns on aircraft, and of the mnd in which said guide or track comprises guide members of channel section operatively spaced apart with their open sides facing one another.

The present invention provides a track or guideway which is of simple construction, cheap to produce and which enables the ammunition belttobeiedathighspeedwithaminimumoi friction and noise.

According to the present invention, I provide a guide or track for belts of machine gun ammunition of the kind in which said guide or track comprises guide members of channel section operatively spaced apart with their open sides facing one anotherand to each edge of whichis secured a separately formed bead of non-metallic material constituting a contact surface for said 1:. it nition.

These may be formed of vulcanized rubher composition oi circular cross-section so that the \mitlon slides only on a line or narrow area oi the outer curved surface of each bead. The beads may be treated with a lubricant such as graphite to minimize friction between the ammunition and its supporting surface. such lubricant being applied to the external surface of the beads or being incorporated in the rubber mix from which the beads are formed, or both.

The various features of my invention are illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an unltion track in accordance with the invention; Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of the track shown in Fig. l, and 3 is a sectional view oi a modification comprising two superposed tracks.

According to the v u t o of Figs. 1 and 2, the guideway or track comprises a pair of guide it i formed oi l of aluminum, or other suitable metal, of U-shsped channel section which are operatively tloned so that their open mdes face each other. and so that the betweenthe closed faces of the guide is slightly more than the overall length of a round oi unltion i. g

e guide members may be conveniently fixed together by m oi metal strip pieces i, each oi channel section as seen in mde elevation, the side oi these strips riveted at 4, or oth secured to the c of the two whereby the sliding friction between the ammunition and the track is reduced to a minimum. The beaded edges of the guide members are formed by applying strips of non-metallic material which has preferably been treated with a 5 lubricant to reduce friction still further between the ammunition and its supporting surface.

In the preferred form the beads are formed of hard rubber with which is incorporated graphite, each beading strip being of circular cross-section with a slit passing inwards from one side.

The beading strips are of such a diameter that the distance between the one pair of adjacent heads I is greater than the distance between the other pair of beads 6, so that the ammunition will be kept more or less level as it passes along the track, although the diameters of the ammunition at its opposite ends may not be equal. 7

The bearing strips 5 and 6 may be secured to 0 the free edges of the length of metal of channel section by treating the strips, or such edges, with an adhesive and subsequently subjecting the assembly to pressure by means of a roller or the like, so that the beads are intimately connected to the channel members. The channel lengths of metal with the beads applied thereto may then be placed in a curing chamber and subjected to vulcanization, thereby ensuring strong adhesion between the hard rubber beads and the metal 0 channel. If desired, the free edges of the metal channel may be shaped or roughened to increase the adhesion between the applied rubber and the metal.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8, the track 15 consists of lengths of channel section built up in pairs on each side of the track, one of such lengths being superposed in register with the other on each side of the track, the inner or adjacent limbs I being provided at their free edges with single hard rubber heads 6, i, which embrace both limbs. of the superposed channels. Having described m invention, what I claim is: l. A guide or track for belts of machine gun ammunition of the kind described comprising a opposed channels. These connecting strips 3 5 pair of metal guide members of channel section spaced in parallel with the open side of one channel facing the open side of the other, means securing said channel sections in spaced positions and separately formed strips of non-metallic material covering the edges of said channel members and constituting contact surfaces of said ammunition.

2. A guide or track according to claim 1 wherein said strips are formed of vulcanized rubber of circular cross-section.

3. A guide or track according to claim 1 wherein said strips are positioned on said lengths of metal by means of slits formed in said strips, in which slits the edges of the guide members are embedded. A

4. A guide or track-according to claim 1 wherein a lubricating agent such as graphite is incorporated in the composition from which the strips are formed.

5. A guide or track according to claim 1 wherein said guide members comprise lengths of metal which are provided with strips of greater diameter on one side of the track than the other.

asoass'r plurality of pairs of metal guide members of channel section, each pair comprising two guide members spaced in parallel with the open side I of one channel facing the open side of the other and one of said pairs of guide members being superposed directly on the other with means for securing said channel sections in spaced positions and for securing one pair of said channel members on the other and separately formed strips of non-metallic material covering the edges of said channel members and constituting contact surfaces for said ammunition and having a common strip covering the superposed edges of said channel members.

GEOFFREY CHARLES BRENTNALL. 

